We all know the importance of taking a break from work. Now that summer is here, it’s time to spend a week or so away with the family — a vacation to recharge and relax.

But it’s not so easy to just forget about work — especially if you’re the business owner! So here’s some tips we’ve gathered to help you keep your business running while enjoying much-needed vacation time.

Delegate tasks – Ask yourself, “Do I absolutely HAVE to do this?” Chances are, you could delegate many tasks to a trusted assistant while you’re gone. In fact, you may not have realized the capabilities of some of your staff until they’ve been given the opportunity to do more.

Tell your Clients – Anyone who is used to contacting you directly will need to know to contact your assistant instead. Everyone understands that vacations are important. Set clear boundaries and expectations with them.

Set a “work hour” – Find a specific block of time each day or few days during your vacation that you will check in with the office, get briefed and answer any urgent questions. This may even be a virtual meeting.

Set an Emergency Contact Method – Text, call or email? You’ll have to decide what’s the best way to be contacted in case of emergency. Remember to be totally clear with your staff of what is an emergency (when it is OK to call you) and what can wait for this work hour.

Practice Ahead of Time – Ask your employees, “How would you solve this if you couldn’t get a hold of me?” with some different scenarios. That way if something comes up when you’re out of reach, you’ll be confident they can handle it.

Unplug – If your work email comes up on your smartphone or tablet (that you’ll be using on your vacation), disconnect that account before you leave so you won’t be tempted by emails coming in. You can always reconnect after you return. Also don’t forget to automate an “out of office” reply for your email.

These guidelines should help you be able to totally unplug from work, until that specific time comes for you to check in. This will cause a much more relaxed vacation than if someone from the office is calling you randomly throughout the day!

IVAA Speaker – Audrey Isbell

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